Will a new immigration crisis influence the outcome of the next federal election?

By David CraneJul. 2, 2018

There is a different kind of refugee/asylum-seeking crisis brewing and this time it is the Liberals who are on the defensive. The harsh crackdown by the Trump administration on illegal immigrants in the U.S., and the threat that so-called Dreamers—the roughly 800,000 children illegal immigrants brought with them to the U.S.—may also be deported has led to thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants crossing the Canadian border in the hope of gaining asylum or refugee status here.

How well Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government handles this influx will shape Canadian attitudes to immigration and if handled poorly could unleash anti-immigration sentiment in next year’s federal election, writes David Crane. The Hill Times photograph Andrew Meade

TORONTO—A refugee crisis influenced the outcome of the 2015 federal election. Will a new immigration crisis do the same in the planned 2019 federal election?

The Liberals will be under attack from all sides in the next election campaign, but Liberals say they have a good story to tell and some say they need to sharpen up their communications strategy before it's too late.